Jonathan Little Blog

Kristen Foxen just made poker history by FOLDING POCKET KINGS (the 2nd best starting hand in poker) before the flop… Let’s talk about it!

Kristen Foxen is one of the absolute best poker players in the world. She has been a regular in the high stakes poker tournament circuit for years now and is known to get in there & battle with some of the most elite poker professionals alive today.

During the 2026 $100,000 buy-in Triton Poker Main Event that took place on Jeju Island, Kristen found herself as the 2nd shortest stack on the final table, when she looks down at pocket kings! However, things aren’t as simple as they seem after the first player to act (under the gun, and the shortest stack at the table) goes all-in for 8 big blinds. Then, the next player to act, Elton Tsang, calls the all-in, before Philip Sternheimer shoves his 25bb stack over the top.

This is one of the toughest spots to find yourself in at the poker table – fortunately for you, pokercoaching founder & poker coach of 20 years experience Jonathan Little analyzes this difficult spot & breaks the action down into digestible points, so that you can avoid disaster in your games!

In this video, you will learn about ICM (Independent Chip Model), how to adjust on the final table as a short stack, what your all-in range should be on a final table facing previous action, and what you should do at various stack depths from different positions at the poker table.

If you want to check out PeakGTO to work on your ICM game: https://peakgto.com

Timestamps:
0:00 – UTG Goes All-in With QJss
2:01 – Elton Calls With TT
4:14 – Philip Wakes Up With JJ
6:49 – What Should Kristen Do With KK?
11:32 – Should Elton Call With TT?
13:36 – Outcome & After-Thoughts

The post WPH #605: $3.8 Million for 1st & SHE FOLDS KK PREFLOP!!!!!!!!?? first appeared on Jonathan Little.

Mariano Poker has been making a name for himself with incredibly loose plays that often work out for him! In this hand, he makes a desperate bluff risking 5x the size of the pot in the process… T1000 is suspicious, but will he lay the best hand down, or make the call to win an absurdly large pot!

Jonathan Little is a poker coach with 20 years experience, and is the founder of pokercoaching.com. In this video, he analyzes this risky play made by Mariano poker, and gives you insights that will help you navigate difficult spots in your own poker games.

Jonathan teaches when to make polarized river bets, when to check it back and see a showdown, and when to make the hero call against your loose & splashy opponents!

Timestamps:
0:00 – Preflop
0:35 – Flop
1:58 – Turn
3:04 – River
5:32 – Was This A Good Play?

The post WPH #604: Mariano Risks It All With A Desperate Bluff! first appeared on Jonathan Little.

Poker Coach Jonathan Little breaks down a hand played by his former student, Justin Saliba (JustGTO). This hand was played on the final table of a $10,000 buy-in tournament, Event 4 of the 2025 PokerGO Cup! In this hand, Justin is the overwhelming chip leader with 2 other opponents remaining in the tournament. He is in the Big Blind facing off against the 2nd place chip stack in the Small Blind and the difference between stacks is significant. This is the dream spot for poker tournament professionals and Justin knows exactly how to take advantage of this spot. Watch along until the end to find out how he does it!

Having the chip lead on the final table is a poker superpower, it gives you the ability to apply significant payout pressure to your opponents which allows you to build your stack even bigger & increase your odds of winning the tournament. But if your opponent’s know that you will be exploiting them by increasing your aggression, surely they will adapt & start to call wider… right?

In this video, poker coach Jonathan Little gives you the strategy for poker tournament final tables, how you should adjust to ICM on both sides of the chip distribution and how to win poker tournaments.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Preflop Action
0:36 – Preflop Strategy
1:45 – Flop Action
2:36 – Flop Strategy
4:21 – Turn Action
5:08 – Turn Strategy
7:25 – Turn Facing A Bet OOP
7:50 – Turn Strategy Facing A Bet OOP
9:05 – River Action
10:13 – River Strategy
11:48 – Hand Outcome

The post WPH #596: How Do Poker Players Know When To Bluff? first appeared on Jonathan Little.

Playing in a huge invitational poker cash game during the Triton Poker Series Montenegro, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates and Tan Xuan get involved in a massive pot. But has he lost his mind in this $1,500,000 pot? Xuan must decide whether to unload the clip with a triple barrel bluff. The problem is that Cates holds the stone cold nuts. Will Xuan make the wrong decision and punt it off into Cates, or will he give up on the bluff and save himself almost $750,000?

When playing poker tournaments or cash games, it is important to protect your calling range. This means that when you call a bet, raise, or check-raise, your range should not only consist of draws or medium-strength hands. You should occasionally have very strong hands, including the nuts, in your calling range. By doing this, you make it much harder for your opponents to exploit you, as they cannot be sure whether your call represents a draw, a marginal hand, or a monster.

Dan Cates, also known as Jungleman and w00ki3z, is a 34-year-old from the USA and is regarded by many as one of the best poker players in the world both online and live. He has played in all the high stakes poker cash games around the world for many years. He has over $18,800,000 in live poker tournament earnings, putting him in the top 100 on the all-time money list. He famously won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $50,000 Players Championship (regarded as one of the hardest poker tournaments to win) in 2021 and again in 2022. Since 2012, Cates has played over 89 live streamed cash games and has won more than $14,400,000. Cates has won the most in history on live streamed poker gash games.

Tan Xuan is a Chinese businessman from Wuhan. Xuan has won over $12,300,000 in live poker tournament earnings, putting him in the top 150 on poker’s all time money list. His biggest score of $2,308,384 came during the 2018 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro, where he finished second in the HK$1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em – Short Deck Ante Only tournament. Since 2018, Since 2018 Xuan has played on over 77 live streamed poker cash games and has lost over $7,700,000.

Triton Poker was founded in 2015 by Paul Phua and Richard Yong; their aim was to attract a healthy mixture of recreational poker players and seasoned poker professionals. Part of what makes the Triton Series so special is that it’s open to a wide range of poker players – not just a select few. They envisioned Triton as a series of poker events providing excellent entertainment value for audiences passionate about poker. Some of the most famous poker players to have appeared at Triton events have been Phil Ivey ‘RaiseOnce’, Tom Dwan ‘Durrr’, Patrick Antonius ‘The Finn’, Michael Addamo ‘imluckbox’, Chris Brewer, Jason Koon ‘JAKoon1985’, Tony G, Dan Cates ‘Jungleman’, Doug Polk ‘WCGRider’, Stephen Chidwick ‘stevie444’, Linus Loeliger ‘LLinusLLove’, Isaac Haxton ‘philivey2694’, Mikita Badziakouski ‘fish2013’, Timofey Kuznetsov ‘Trueteller’ and many more.

Preflop:
With the $4,000 straddle on, Paul Phua raises from early position with pocket sevens to $10,000. Tan Xuan calls from the button holding 98 of hearts and Dan Cates defends KQo from the under the gun straddle.

Flop – Ac Jd 3s:
Cates is first to act and checks his gutshot straight draw to broadway. Phua, with his two hockey sticks, opts not to continuation bet and checks. Xuan’s suited connector has flopped terribly as he just has a backdraw straight draw. He bets $17,000 as a bluff and only Cates calls from out of position.

Turn – Ts:
Heads-up to the ten of spades turn, which helps improve Cates to the nuts with a broadway straight. Cates checks for a second time and Xuan, who despite picking up an open ended straight draw, is drawing dead. Xuan doesn’t know this as he chooses to fire a second barrel for $35,000. Cates takes the most aggressive option available to him by check raising to $125,000. Xuan doesn’t believe the story Cates is telling, so he decides to 3-bet to $325,000. Cates sets the trap by just calling and the two poker players head to a river.

River – 6h:
Nothing changes on the six of hearts river, and Cates checks the action over to Xuan. With just nine-high, will Xuan shove all in or will he check behind and give up on his bluff? Stay tuned to the end of this poker video to see what happens!

Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Poker Club & PokerGO. He also analyzes popular poker vloggers such as Rampage Poker, Brad Owen, Jaman Burton, Ashley Sleeth, Wolfgang Poker and others!

You will also find many poker hands on this channel that contain some of the biggest names in the poker world such as; Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Fedor Holz & many more!

The post WPH #595: He LOST His MIND In This $1,500,000 POT! first appeared on Jonathan Little.

pokerstrategy #pokergo #philhellmuth

Every poker player has it on their bucket list to put a bad beat on Phil Hellmuth and send him into one of his famous tirades. However, it could be something as simple as a brutal poker cooler that causes Hellmuth to explode. During a live streamed cash game at the Champions Club in Texas, a dream river card gives Alex a straight flush while improving Hellmuth to an ace high flush. Will the 17 time World Series of Poker bracelet holder get stacked, or will this be an insane read by Phil Hellmuth and will he manage to muster up some white magic and make an epic fold?

When you are in position and your opponent makes a large bet, such as a pot sized bet or an overbet, you should very rarely raise. If you are following a game theory optimal (GTO) strategy, the best play is usually to just call. A polarizing bet typically means your opponent has either a very strong hand, a high equity draw or a complete bluff.

Phil Hellmuth ‘The Poker Brat’ has won over $30,400,000 in live poker tournaments putting him in the top 100 on the all time money list. Hellmuth has 17 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets which is currently the most that any poker player has won! Hellmuth is very well known for his antics and outbursts at the poker table which is why he is known as ‘The Poker Brat’. Since 2006, Phil has played over 190 live streamed cash games and has lost over $780,000.

Alex Jauregui, who is also known “Alp” is a high-stakes poker player and former poker dealer from America. He frequently participates in some of the highest stakes cash games throughout Texas. Alex has previously stated that he mainly plays Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) cash games, and primarily only plays No Limit Hold’em (NLHE) when he makes appearances on live streams. Alex has over $700,000 in live tournament earnings. His biggest cash of $172,000 came from a 3rd place finish at the 2023 World Poker Tour Lincoln Main Event.

The Champions Club Texas High Stakes Cash Game took place on August 8th, 2024, at the Champions Club Texas, Houston, U.S.A. This high-stakes game featured a $5,000 minimum buy-in with $25/$50 blinds and was streamed live by PokerGO. The lineup included Phil Hellmuth ‘The Poker Brat’, Jason White, Kasey Mills ‘PokerMommaa’, Alexander Wolfgang ‘Wolfgang Poker’, and Randy ‘3Coin’. Commentary was provided by Jeff Platt and Brent Hanks.

Preflop:
With the $100 straddle on, Phil Hellmuth raises the button to $300 holding AQo with the ace of diamonds. After the small blind & big blind fold, Alex defends his under the gun straddle with the computer hand, Q7o. The two poker players head to the flop

Flop – Jd Td 2s:
Alex is first to act from out of position and checks with just one overcard, a backdoor straight draw and a backdoor flush draw. Hellmuth chooses not to continuation bet with his gutshot straight draw to broadway, two overcards and a back door flush draw.

Turn – 9d:
The flush completing 9 of diamonds on the turn improves both players to backdoor draws. Alex leads out for $600 with an open ended straight draw and queen high flush draw. Hellmuth calls with his own open ended straight draw and ace high flush draw.

River – Kd:
Both players improve on the K of diamonds river, but Alex has the nuts with an unbeatable king high straight flush, the second best hand in poker only just behind a royal flush. He fires out a small bet of $300. Hellmuth may think this card is great for him, but it’s actually the worst card in the deck, as he holds the ace high flush, only losing to straight flushes. Looking for value, he raises to $900 with his flush. Alex then puts in a rare river 3-bet to $5,000 with the nuts, and the action is back on Hellmuth. Will The Poker Brat pay off Alex’s value bet and explode into a tirade, or will he show some of his famous white magic by folding such a strong hand? Stay tuned to the end of this poker video to see what Hellmuth does!

Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Poker Club & PokerGO. He also analyzes popular poker vloggers such as Rampage Poker, Brad Owen, Jaman Burton, Ashley Sleeth, Wolfgang Poker and others!

You will also find many poker hands on this channel that contain some of the biggest names in the poker world such as; Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Fedor Holz & many more!

The post WPH #585: INSANE READ by Phil Hellmuth!!!! first appeared on Jonathan Little.

#highstakespoker #pokertips #pokervlogger
Blind vs blind battles are often the most interesting spots in poker cash games as nobody ever wants to give up on the pot! Can Brad Owen crack pocket aces? Well in this hand he does as the popular poker vlogger manages to spike his combo draw on the river against an opponent in the small blind, who happens to hold pocket aces. Brad fires out an overbet, but will this bet prove to be too greedy, or will his opponent be unable to fold the best starting hand in poker?

On low connected flops that favor your range more than your opponents, it’s often a good situation to start betting with your lower flush and straight draws. By doing so, you can fold out many hands that are currently ahead of you. A draw that includes ace high is usually better to check behind since you already have some showdown value. However, with hands like eight-high, nine-high, or ten-high draws, you’re unlikely to be ahead, so betting allows you to apply pressure and potentially get opponents to fold their unpaired overcards.

When choosing your bet sizing, it’s generally best to lean toward a larger bet, closer to pot size. This polarized sizing represents either very strong made hands, such as straights and sets, or high equity draws. Using this strategy makes your betting range tougher to play against and maximizes fold equity while still building the pot when you hit your draws.

Brad Owen is a WPT ambassador and co-owner of The Lodge Card Club in Texas, he is a very successful YouTube poker vlogger with over 765,000 subscribers. His YouTube channel has had over 175,000,000 views. Primarily a cash game poker player, Brad has started playing more live poker tournaments since the start of 2022. His lifetime total live poker tournament winnings are over $990,000. His biggest cash for $152,266 came in December 2023 when he finished 7th in the $50,000 WPT Alpha8, during the WPT World Championship at the Wynn, Las Vegas.

The Bellagio poker room is a stylish 7,000 square feet space that houses 40 tables and two high-limit areas, the most prominent of which is the Legends Room, an exclusive two-table enclave named to honor poker’s greatest players. This room was previously known as Bobby’s room, named after the legendary poker player Bobby Baldwin.

Preflop:
From the small blind, the villain raises pocket aces to $200, and only Brad Owen calls out of the big blind with the 95 of spades, also known as the Dolly Parton.

Flop – 6s 3s 2d:
On the low connected flop, the villain decides not to continuation bet as he checks with the nut overpair to the board. Owen checks behind, having flopped a combo draw, and the two poker players head to a turn.

Turn – 3h:
A board pairing three of hearts turn sees the villain check again with his pocket rockets, causing Owen to take over the betting lead by firing out a bet of $175 with his straight and flush draws. The villain calls with two aces, and they head to the river.

River – 4d:
The four of diamonds on the river leaves a possible one liner to a straight. The villain checks again with pocket aces, and Owen, who has improved to a six high straight, fires an overbet of $1,000. Will this polarizing bet prove to be too greedy for Owen, or will his opponent think Owen has a busted flush draw and pay him off? Stay tuned to the end of this poker video to find out what happens!

Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Poker Club & PokerGO. He also analyzes popular poker vloggers such as Rampage Poker, Brad Owen, Jaman Burton, Ashley Sleeth, Wolfgang Poker and others!
You will also find many poker hands on this channel that contain some of the biggest names in the poker world such as; Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Fedor Holz & many more!

The post WPH #584: Can Brad Owen CRACK Pocket Aces?! first appeared on Jonathan Little.

pokerstrategy #highstakespoker #pokergo

Jonathan Little and Brock Wilson may both be top poker coaches for PokerCoaching.com and great friends, but at the poker table, that’s just business! During a high-stakes poker tournament at the 2024 PokerGO Tour U.S. Poker Open, Wilson decides to float Little’s flop bet with evil intentions. Those plans come to fruition on the turn when he raises Little’s double barrel with pure air. He could get fired for this!

When you’re out of position and bet the flop with a strong, mostly polarized range like top pairs, overpairs and strong draws and your opponent just calls, a blank turn is usually a good situation to continue betting. A medium sized bet of around half pot works well here. The goal is to apply pressure to your opponent’s marginal poker hands, like small or medium pocket pairs and overcards.

Jonathan Little ‘FieryJustice’,’Jcardshark’, ‘JonLittle’ is in the top 200 on the all time money list with over $9,300,000 in total live poker earnings. He has 2 World Poker Tour (WPT) titles, both of which were for over $1,000,000. He won the WPT Season VI (2007-2008) Player of the Year award. Jonathan is a 40 year old professional poker player from the U.S.A. He is also the founder of PokerCoaching.com.

Brock Wilson is a professional poker player from America. He has over $10,600,000 in live poker tournament earnings, putting him in the top 200 worldwide. His biggest cash of $619,536 came in 2018 at the partypoker MILLIONS World Bahamas, where he finished second in a $25,000 No Limit Hold’em – MILLIONS Super High Roller event. He is also a coach at PokerCoaching.com.

The 2024 U.S. Poker Open was the sixth edition of the USPO, a series of high-stakes poker tournaments held at PokerGO Studio at the Aria Hotel & Casino. The series ran from April 8th-17th, with 8 scheduled poker events culminating in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament finale.

$10,000 – 2024 PGT U.S. Poker Open Event #4 – Results

1st: Jonathan Little ‘FieryJustice’, ’Jcardshark’, ‘JonLittle’ – U.S.A. – $226,800
2nd: Harvey Castro – U.S.A. – $145,800
3rd: James Collopy ‘Mr_BigQueso’ – U.S.A. – $105,300
4th: Sam Soverel ‘ApesSonIMHO’ – U.S.A. – $76,950
5th: Wayne Nowak – U.S.A. – $56,700
6th: Isaac Haxton ‘philivey2694’ – U.S.A. – $40,500

Preflop:
Jonathan Little raises to 45,000 from the cutoff with 87 of diamonds and Brock Wilson calls on the button holding KQo. After the small blind and big blind fold, the two professional poker players head to the flop.

Flop – 7c 5d 2c:
Little flops best with his suited connector as he hits top pair with a backdoor straight draw and backdoor flush draw. He makes a continuation bet of 60,000 from out of position and Wilson calls with no pair, and just two broadway overcards with a backdoor flush draw.

Turn – 2h:
A board pairing 2 of hearts on the turn improves Little to two pair, sevens and deuces. He fires a second barrel of 90,000 and is met by a raise to 225,000 from Wilson, who has no pair or draw. Will Little fold against Wilson’s pressure? Will he call and decide what to do on the river, or will he shove all in for Wilson’s total stack of 495,000? Stay tuned to the end of this poker video to see what happens!

Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Poker Club & PokerGO. He also analyzes popular poker vloggers such as Rampage Poker, Brad Owen, Jaman Burton, Ashley Sleeth, Wolfgang Poker and others!

You will also find many poker hands on this channel that contain some of the biggest names in the poker world such as; Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Fedor Holz & many more!

The post He Could Get FIRED For THIS!!! first appeared on Jonathan Little.

Even for professional poker players, knowing the best way to extract maximum value from an opponent after flopping the nuts can be difficult. Popular poker vlogger Mariano Poker flops top set during a high stakes cash game at the Lodge Card Club and tries his best to entice JWIN Poker into taking a stab at the pot. However, JWIN does not take the bait and ends up hitting a miracle river. Will Mariano be able to get away from his disguised set, or will he regret slow playing such a monster?

On the turn, when you are in position and the stack to pot ratio is small, you need to decide which hands to bluff with and which hands to check. Generally, you should choose hands with lower equity heading to the river, such as gutshot straight draws rather than hands like flush draws. When you face a check shove with hands that have fewer outs to improve, you can fold more comfortably compared to hands that have a strong chance of winning on many river cards.

Mariano Grandoli also known as Mariano is an American professional poker player born in Argentina. He regularly features on the Hustler Casino Live stream. He also has a popular poker YouTube channel with over 170,000 subscribers. Since 2021 he has played over 188 live streamed cash games and has won over $2,000,000.

Jay Nguyen or JWIN as he is more commonly known, is an American professional poker player. He regularly plays on The Lodge live streams and he usually plays all the way up to $50 – $100. He also has a popular YouTube channel with over 11,000 subscribers where he produces poker vlogs. JWIN is also a brand ambassador and coach for PokerCoaching.com. Since 2020, JWIN has played on more than 143 live streamed cash games and has won over $130,000.

In early 2022, poker professionals Doug Polk, Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme joined forces to acquire a controlling stake in The Lodge Poker Club & Card Room, which happens to be the largest poker establishment in Austin, Texas. This exclusive poker club, accessible only to its poker members, boasts an impressive array of amenities, including over 80 poker tables of cash games and poker tournaments, operating around the clock. Additionally, The Lodge provides an inviting ambiance with 40 large-screen TVs, allowing poker club members to enjoy sports entertainment while playing poker or while relaxing in the cozy waiting area. The live poker stream includes commentary from Skull Mike and Slick Rick, who have been long time regulars at The Lodge. They provide viewers with strategic insights, complemented by a perfect blend of humor. Lodge Card Club has bought San Antonio’s largest poker room, Rounders Card Club, which opened in July 2024. The new Lodge Card Club San Antonio will relocate to a larger space to host bigger poker tournaments and events. Chaz Gill, known as Big Daddy Chaz, will join Doug Polk, Andrew Neeme, and Brad Owen as a partner to help meet the local poker community’s needs.

Preflop:
With an $800 triple straddle on, JWIN raises to $1,800 from the button with T9 of spades. After the small blind folds, Mariano Poker 3-bets to $8,500 with pocket kings from the big blind. Both straddles fold and JWIN calls with his pretty suited connector.

Flop – Kc Jh 2h:
Mariano flops the nuts with top set and decides to make a small bet of $5,400. JWIN has a gutshot straight draw to the dummy end of the straight so he chooses to call.

Turn – 4c:
The 4 of clubs on the turn is a complete brick, although it does introduce a second flush draw. Mariano decides to slow down with his set of kings as he checks. JWIN is happy to check behind with his straight draw to realize his equity and they head to the river.

River – Qs:
The river is disastrous for Mariano as he now has the third nuts, losing to two possible straights. However, he realizes he should be extracting some more value from his three kings, so he fires out a small bet of $3,800. JWIN has hit his miracle on the river, after thinking for a few moments, he decides to shove all in for $22,900 with the second nuts. Will Mariano be able to get away from his flopped monster, or will he end up doubling JWIN up? Stay tuned until the end of this poker video to see what the poker vlogger does.

Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Poker Club & PokerGO. He also analyzes popular poker vloggers such as Rampage Poker, Brad Owen, Jaman Burton, Ashley Sleeth, Wolfgang Poker and others!

You will also find many poker hands on this channel that contain some of the biggest names in the poker world such as; Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Fedor Holz & many more!

The post WPH #573: Mariano Poker Gets OWNED!!! first appeared on Jonathan Little.

Heads up poker is seen by many as the purest form of poker, just two poker players battling it out where there can be only one winner and one loser. During the heads up part of GGPoker’s Game of Gold, Andy Stacks and Josh Arieh battled it out, each vying to crush the other. No way did Andy Stacks just do this after he finds himself with top pair on the river facing a bet from Arieh! Will Tsai make the correct call or do something that shocks his teammates railing backstage?

When you are considering betting with a poker hand like middle pair on the flop, it is generally better to bet when your hand is vulnerable to being outdrawn. If you flop a pair of eights on an ace high flop, many overcards on the turn could improve your opponent’s hand. However, the higher your second pair, the less inclined you should be to bet for protection, as fewer turn cards are likely to improve your opponent.

Andy Tsai or “Andy Stacks” as he is more commonly known in the poker world is a popular professional poker player originally from Taiwan who currently resides in Los Angeles, United States. Over the last decade, Andy Stacks has established himself as one of the most recognizable poker faces on live poker streams playing regularly on ‘Hustler Casino Live’ and ‘Live At The Bike’. Andy is known for being an ambassador for GGPoker. He has a very calm and quiet demeanor at the poker table and was given his nickname “Andy Stacks” as he always has huge stacks of chips when playing in live cash games.

Josh Arieh is a professional poker player from America. He has won over $12,500,000 in live poker tournaments, putting him in the top 150 on the all-time money list. He has 6 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and finished 3rd in the 2004 WSOP Main Event, the year that Greg Raymer ‘Fossilman’ won.

Filmed in Seoul, South Korea and hosted by experienced poker broadcaster Ali Nejad, Game of Gold combines high stakes poker with survival reality TV. Over the course of the 12 episodes, the sixteen participants competed across various poker formats, including Sit & Go’s, Heads-Up games, Indian Poker and a standard tournament poker game.

The poker players on the show included Daniel Negreanu “KidPoker”, Jason Koon, Fedor Holz “CrownUpGuy”, Kevin Martin, Kyna England, Josh Arieh, Daniel Cates “Jungleman”, Lukas Robinson “RobinPoker”, Nikita Luther, Charlie Carrel “Epiphany77”, Johan Guilbert “YoH ViraL”, Olga Iermolcheva, David Williams, Andy Tsai “Andy Stacks”, Michael Soyza, and Maria Ho.

Round 2 was the heads-up team battle part of the show – there were 4 teams with three players on each team. After one match, the losing team would put up their next poker player. After one team had lost 3 matches, they would be eliminated to the losers bracket with the winning team advancing to the winners bracket. The 3 players on the losing team from the losers bracket would be eliminated from the show.

The final six players competed in a winner-take-all format Sit & Go (SNG). This was unique as it meant there was no Independent Chip Model (ICM) pressure on any of the poker players.

Game of Gold Results
1st: Maria Ho – U.S.A – $456,000
2nd: Daniel Cates ‘Jungleman’ – U.S.A – $0
3rd: Johan Guilbert ‘Yoh Viral’ – France – $0
4th: Fedor Holz ‘CrownUpGuy’ – Germany – $0
5th: Kyna England – U.S.A – $0
6th. Josh Arieh – U.S.A – $0

Preflop:
Josh Arieh raises to 160,000 with Q8o from the button, which is also the small blind during heads up poker. Andy Stacks calls with A3 of clubs as they head to the flop.

Flop – Ad 8d 4d:
An ace high monotone hits and Stacks flops best with his suited wheel ace, making top pair with a backdoor straight draw. He checks, and Arieh checks back, opting not to continuation bet with his pair of eights which is currently middle pair.

Turn – 2c:
Stacks picks up a wheel draw on the 2 of clubs turn. He checks with his pair of aces again and Arieh fires out a delayed continuation bet of 120,000 with his second pair.

River – 6s:
The 6 of spades changes nothing for either player, and Stacks checks for the last time with top pair and a weak kicker. Arieh bets 300,000, possibly looking to extract some value with second pair, but he doesn’t realize he’s value owning himself. Surely, Stacks will just flick in the call and take down the pot – or will he? Stay tuned until the end of this poker video to find out what Andy Stacks does!

Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Poker Club & PokerGO. He also analyzes popular poker vloggers such as Rampage Poker, Brad Owen, Jaman Burton, Ashley Sleeth, Wolfgang Poker and others!

You will also find many poker hands on this channel that contain some of the biggest names in the poker world such as; Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Fedor Holz & many more!

The post WPH #568: NO WAY Did Andy Stacks Just Do THIS?!? first appeared on Jonathan Little.

The poker stand up game has caused many people to lose thousands of dollars just trying to avoid paying the loser’s tax. Well, this poker hand during a cash game at Resorts World Las Vegas is no different. Rampage Poker and his opponent are the last two players in the game yet to win a hand, all is on the line to not be the ‘loser’! This seems like the perfect opportunity for a punting masterclass by Rampage Poker. However, will Rampage be able to get his opponent to fold fourth pair, or will Rampage’s bluff get picked off?

When thinking about bluffing, it is important to incorporate bluffs into all of your lines postflop. Even lines that scream value, such as bet check bet, it is crucial to have both bluffs and value bets in this line so that your range remains balanced. This will stop your opponents from exploiting you by overfolding when you take this line of bet check bet, if you only ever do it with value, since they will know you never bluff in this way.

Ethan Yau, a.k.a Rampage, is a popular YouTuber and poker player. He has over 320,000 subscribers on YouTube and has won over $2,800,000 in live poker tournaments, including a $900,000 win in a 2022 World Poker Tour (WPT) High Roller at the Wynn. Since 2021, Rampage has played on over 67 live streamed cash games and has won over $1,000,000.

The Resorts World Las Vegas poker room features 30 poker tables offering a variety of No-Limit Texas Hold’em (NLHE) or Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) cash games and daily poker tournaments. With modern amenities like automatic shufflers, chip runners, USB charging ports, and luxurious seating, this poker room caters to all players. The dedicated high stakes poker section offers an exclusive experience, while food delivery and premium cocktail service add to the luxury.

Preflop:
During the stand up game with Rampage and his opponent being the last players remaining, Rampage decides to raise from the button to $100 with a speculative 74o. The villain in the small blind calls with 87 of hearts and they both head to the flop.

Flop – Ks 8d 5s:
The villain checks after flopping middle pair with a backdoor straight draw. Rampage decides to put out a continuation bet of $200 with just a gutshot straight draw. The villain calls and they head to the turn.

Turn – 9s:
The 9 of spades on the turn completes straights and flushes. The villain checks again, having been downgraded to third pair, but now has picked up his own gutshot straight draw. Rampage chooses to fire a second barrel of $450 with his own draw. The villain still doesn’t believe the story Rampage is telling, so he calls and they head to the river.

River – Td:
The river is the ten of diamonds and the villain checks again with what is now fourth pair. Rampage realizes he has to bluff to avoid losing the stand up game, so he unloads the clip, firing a third and final barrel of $1,200. Will Rampage’s audacious triple barrel bluff get through, or will Rampage’s opponent make the hero call and give Rampage another punt that he can add to his collection? Stay tuned to the end of this poker video to see what happens!

Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Poker Club & PokerGO. He also analyzes popular poker vloggers such as Rampage Poker, Brad Owen, Jaman Burton, Ashley Sleeth, Wolfgang Poker and others!
You will also find many poker hands on this channel that contain some of the biggest names in the poker world such as; Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Fedor Holz & many more!

The post WPH #567: A PUNTING Masterclass by Rampage Poker! first appeared on Jonathan Little.